270 Sherman

Well,the FAA has determined that many PILOT ERROR accidents are actually a culmination of several small errors that result in a more serious problem.

This was a perfect example of that.

I have been reloading since 1976 and have had 3 "unfortunate incidents".

The first was when my dad went hunting and decided to take my 243. Well, that was all fine and dandy except he rummaged through my reloading drawer and managed to come up with about 3 loads in a cartridge holder that were in that drawer because the were off the end of my pressure test and were going to be taken apart. WELL, He managed to grab the hottest one and blew a primer!! It wasn't too bad- a good whack with a 2x4 removed the case and I still shoot the rifle regularly(this was in 1984).

The second came when I shot a reload made for the above mentioned rifle in a second rifle and got a stuck case because the bullet was well jammed from a difference in O.A.L I had to whack open the bolt and then extract the case by drilling it, tapping it, and pulling it(2001).

The above is the third.

All were preventable but were a culmination of small errors.

The first was to take apart immediately the high pressure loads.

The second was to make sure all loads fit the gun they were being used in and make sure they aren't over pressure as guns vary a bit.

The third was to make sure all steps are followed in the process, and to stop and think when something doesn't go right!

Well,the FAA has determined that many PILOT ERROR accidents are actually a culmination of several small errors that result in a more serious problem.

This was a perfect example of that.

I have been reloading since 1976 and have had 3 "unfortunate incidents".

The first was when my dad went hunting and decided to take my 243. Well, that was all fine and dandy except he rummaged through my reloading drawer and managed to come up with about 3 loads in a cartridge holder that were in that drawer because the were off the end of my pressure test and were going to be taken apart. WELL, He managed to grab the hottest one and blew a primer!! It wasn't too bad- a good whack with a 2x4 removed the case and I still shoot the rifle regularly(this was in 1984).

The second came when I shot a reload made for the above mentioned rifle in a second rifle and got a stuck case because the bullet was well jammed from a difference in O.A.L I had to whack open the bolt and then extract the case by drilling it, tapping it, and pulling it(2001).

The above is the third.

All were preventable but were a culmination of small errors.

The first was to take apart immediately the high pressure loads.

The second was to make sure all loads fit the gun they were being used in and make sure they aren't over pressure as guns vary a bit.

The third was to make sure all steps are followed in the process, and to stop and think when something doesn't go right!

Wouldn't it be nice if we could be smart THEN old rather than the reverse

So far my loads have been pretty conservative. All were with the Matrix 165g and an OAL of 3.51" and a whopping 22" long barrel in 270 Sherman!

The 7828ssc 60g load shows about 2800fps. It does show some sign that the top is near. It shot 5 into just shy of an inch(just cleaned-.993").

The RL22 loads were continuing to gain speed but the hottest one at 59.5 grains showed 2715fps and no pressure. They did all shoot good and I loaded 5 rounds from 56g to 59.5 g and they all went into a group under an inch(.753").

The N560 loads showed some promise also but were low pressure and the hottest I loaded 56g was up to 2645fps. They also shot pretty well with 3 making a small group(.693") and the fourth of 4 being about an inch out.

Magpro again was fairly low pressure and was loaded from 58-62 grains. By this time I was getting cold and either wasn't shooting as well or the rifle doesn't like magpro but it threw one out about 1 1/4", two in close and the other two above a bit and spread out(1.217")

I would have liked to have seen some more speed at this point but it is obvious I underestimated the powder charges needed. Also, this was with BR2 primers and in cold temperatures. I may try some Magnum primers with the Magpro and increase top pressure loads until I find a stopping point. Right now none of the loads are HOT yet.

It was nice to see that the rifle will shoot a wide range of powder weight to a similar point of impact. The groups stating with the lower pressure loads moved up on the target with the higher pressure loads just as they should.

It looks like your going to comfortably run the 165 Matrix with your 22in barrel and the Sherman case about as fast as we run the 165 from a straight win with a 26in barrel humping it. That's fairly good ballistic performance when you think about it!!!